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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · tear · cap · perch · lean · squash · pass · plane

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tear — from crying
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. firm — decided
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. firm — steady
  8. plane — a tool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cap — of ice
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cap — a lid
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tear — to rip
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com